The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-11-24

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the Rocking Chair Ranch company, in
Collingsworth county, and made lengthy
report of the facts to the governor and
land commissioner. The report has not
been made public.
The land commissioner has sent an
agent to confer with the judge of Wheeler
county as to land matters in that section.
Secretary Lawrence and assistants in
the land department are preparing, by
direction of the land commissioner, full
statement of all sales and leases of school
lands made under the old and new law up
to December l. The commissioner esti-
mates that half million acres of school
lands have been forfeited to the state on
account of non-payment of interest under
the act of 1883.
Treasury receipts yesterday were light,
$?,323.
From Tuesdays Daily
Governor Ross has letter from Archi-
tect Bell, of Washington county, stating
that he will come to inspect the capitol
dome for $500 and necessary expenses
incurred. Messrs. B. NJ. Harrod and Ed
gar Farrar, of New Orleans, have been
suggested to the governor as excellent
architects for experts in the matter.
The governor has postponed execution
of sentence of Cruz Rodrigues, of Uvalde,
who was to be hung November % for the
murder of Franco Garca, in order to give
the prisoner a respite to prepare petit
tion for communication or pardon. The
respite is till December 8. Rod
rigues possibly did not have a
full chance to prove his case.
The state treasurer yesterday paid out
$4,000 for the purchase of Harris
county bridge bonds for account of the
school funds.
Wise county redeemed $1,000 of her
bonds for loans from the school funds
Capt. Schmidt reports to the governor,
that his force of rangers has killed and
captured thirteen of the border bandits,
including among the killed. the bandit
Chief Morales, who is said to be the party
who got 1900 for the ransom of Senior
Berara, who he abducted from his ranch
near the Rio Grande. Morales is also
reported to be one of the three men who
robbed stage near Laredo, and stripped
a lady of all her clothes and otherwise
shamefully abused her. Two of the men
captured by the rangers are suppoed to
have been Morales, accomplices in the
outrage.
Gen. H. E. Mccullough, state land
agent, who was sent to investigate the
charges of threatened evictions of actual
settlers on the Rocking Chair ranch, in
Collingsworth county, has made his report
to the state land commissioner.
The report is quite lengthy, giving the
status of a number of the settlers. AS to
Mr.. G. W. Boyd, one of the two men who
complained to the governor, Gen. McCul-
Tough reports: G. W. Boyd entered on
section 70, block II, in September, 1886,
as an actual settler. He has picket
house and rock dug out house, Ichicken
house, milk hous, and we'll thirty feet
deep, Wagon shed, corrals, 400 acres under
fence and thirty-fve in cultivation; 125
head of cattle and ten horses.
He says he has not been ordered off by
j. j. Drew, but says that Drew visited his
house twice during his absence, and he
supposes it was to notify him to move his
cattle or stock out of the pasture. His
improvements are worth about 500.
Jesse F. Bird entered on section AZ of
block ~ in August, 1886, as an actual set
tier. He has three dugouts,a pasture, cor
raj, and about half acre in garden; has
about two hundred head of cattle and five
horses. He says he will purchase
three sections of pasture land, in addi-
ton to his watered section, if permitted
He says that j. j. Drew, who is the mana
ger of the Rocking Chair ranch, notified
him to take his cattle out of the pasture,
and further notified him that he was
tres passer on school land, aud was liable
to prosecution at Austin for having fenced
or constructed his corral on school land
before purchasing the land. His improve
ments are worth about $3.50.
These are fair specimens of the cases
reported by Gen. Mccullough.
General Mccullough says that, no.
withstanding these actual settlers have
six months to make their purchases, after
these lands are classified and put upon the
market for sale, Drew ordered some of
them 80 take their cattle meaning excess,
he says) out of his PASTURE and notified
others that they were violating the law,
and were liable to prosecution at Austin
for inclosing school lands as actual
settlers before his (Drew's) lease had been
legally perfected by being delivered to
him or filed in the clerks office for record.
He seems to forget that he had these lands
enclosed and the use of the grass on them
for several years, in violation of law and
utter disregard of the state authorities,
who had the control of them,
Drew had been kind to them in instances,
which the report states, but the Gen
eral concludes that there is no good feel
ing, as whole, between Drew and the
settlers. Drew's cattlemen, however, are
Texans, and get along very well with the
settlers.
The Liberty Fire Insurance company,of
New York, has been licensed by Insurance
Commissioner Foster to do business in
Texas.
Homestead association, of Texarkana,
filed their charter here yesterday.
The state land commissioner sold
twenty-five sections of school land, mostly
in the Pan Handle and Tom Green county,
yesterday.
From Wednesdays Daily
The governor has received report
from Captain Schmidt, of the rangers, and
who is now in Starr county, which states
that his company has killed and captured
thirteen of the Mexican border bandits.
The leader of the bandits, one Morales, is
among the number killed.
The governor has received cOmmunica-
tions, recommending B. M. Harrod and
Edgar Farrar, both of New Orleans, as
architectural experts competent to in
vestigate the capitol dome.
Prof. CARAT, of the board of directors